Dreamscape
by chaoticjester256
Summary: In a world where magic and medieval mix and fantastical beings live in harmony with mortals, a malevolent being arises. Four heroes unite, drawn together by a prophecy to eliminate this powerful evil.
1. prologue 1

Prologue one

The dreamscape. A world where things such as magic, and alchemy exist. Where magic is known, a medieval yet fantastic age where humans build with stone and wood, not knowing of anything past such. This world is where a being of pure darkness exists, unbeknownst to those who live their everyday lives. All but the old and wise oracle, Anzen. She always knew that one day IT would awaken. In almost an instant, IT indeed awoke. Taking the form of a black dragon, its scales sharper than a fair knights sword. Its eyes were black, the slit-shaped irises being a shade of dark purple. Its claws were as sharp, if not sharper than its scales, which were so black, if it were to fly over night sky it wouldn't be able to be told apart from it. A tall and foreboding tower formed in the same instant the wicked beast itself formed. The tower was in the very center of the mist forest of the far north. A mist-like fog covered the entire forest, this fog soon formed around the tower itself. Anzen's breath hitched, as she awoke from her slumber. She got up from her bed, grabbing her wooden cane. She hobbled over to the window of her small home, stepping onto the wooden stool, peering out of the four pane glass window.

The night sky outside was clear, not a cloud to be seen for miles. The stars shone bright, a full moon beaming down onto the village Anzen lived in. She silently stared out the window, lost deep in thought. "So IT has arisen...The dreams, the visions, all of it is true. The prophecy has begun" she said to herself. Her face worn with age, contorted into a look of fear and worry, as she thought to herself about all of this. "Soon I shall have to carry out the rite, to see who the chosen one will be. They will deliver us from the horrid evil will soon affect our entire world" she said to herself once more, as she hobbled back over to her bed. She leaned her cane on the bedside, crawling in and slipping under the wool blankets. All through the night, her sleep was plagued with what some would assume as nightmares. Anzen knew they were not such, they were visions of what would come to be, if the chosen one were not found soon. She tossed and turned in her slumber, the visions and premonitions overwhelming her, bit by bit. She tried to wish it away, she tried to think of other things, but she could not.

Venn awoke with a yawn, opening his eyes. The morning sun glared into his window, shining through the cloth curtains. He got up, doing his normal routine. He stripped away his clothes from the day before, and washed up. He dried off, slipping on his usual attire, composed of a leather tunic with white sleeves, a pair of black cotton trousers, a leather belt, and his shoes. He put all of that on, proceeding to grab his hand mirror from his nightstand. Venn firstly took a moment to gaze into his blue eyes, before resuming his routine. He took a comb, combing down his medium length silver hair, pushing his bangs to the side. He set the comb and mirror down, heading over to the wooden tub. Venn picked it up and headed outside, proceeding to dump the dirty water out behind his house. Heading back inside, he put it back where it went. His breakfast consisted of a chunk of bread he had torn off, dried meat, a bit of cheese, and some water he had cooled from boiling to purify it. After he had his fill, Venn got up and exited his house, closing the door behind himself. He looked around the village. It was busy yet peaceful as usual. What else could one expect from a small prairie village, where almost nothing out of the norm happened?.

Aside from the village oracle Anzen, everything there seemed generic and regular. Anzen herself rarely made any premonition or prophecies aside from when an extremely fertile or infertile season was up ahead, or if a change in the weather was about to occur. Going about his duties, he sometimes felt as though the normality of his village was almost TOO normal. His duties consisted of whatever chores the village folk needed help with, he never had one constant job. Today's sequence of duties was a mundane as yesterday. First he helped one of the milkmaids with milking some of the cows, then he assisted one of the butchers with salting some of the meat that was eventually smoke dried and kept for later, finally carrying some of the fire-wood for one of the elderly women in the village. "You're such a sweet boy, Venn. If your parents were still around, I think they'd be quite proud of you!" she said, giving him a smile as he left. He walked away, letting out a small sigh as he went. He shrugged it off, walking lived alone, never having any memories of his parents, and none of the people in the village were fond of saying anything. Sometimes it bothered him, being this orphan that never knew anything about his own parents, and likely never would. Venn did his best to ignore the occasional mockery or jeering from some of the other boys around the village. The boys that mocked him were a group of athletic youths his age that was lead by their leader of sorts, Cain. Cain was tall, just about as tall as the other men in his village, despite him being years younger than them.

Long blonde hair flowed down to his shoulders, radiating and glowing in the sun like gold. His jawline was clean cut, almost perfect, and his shoulders were quite broad. Arms like the trunks of a fairly aged tree, Cain could lift an entire cow if needed, barely breaking a sweat. Cain's muscle structure seemed perfect as could be, and he could run faster than some of the wild horses that had once wandered into the village. Cain wore brown leather trousers, a white cotton shirt, and hard black leather boots. When he spoke, his voice was proud and confident, but not booming and terribly loud. Everyone seemed to admire Cain, many of the village girls falling MADLY in love with him, yet he always turned down every offer. His green eyes were a sight many girls often became lost in. Cain's dream was to one day leave the village and work his way up the ranks of a kingdom, eventually becoming king. Despite all of this, Venn felt no jealousy, nor did he feel scornful towards Cain. Venn sometimes felt a bit lonely, knowing that the entire village admired Cain, and while they were nice to Venn, he felt as if he just didn't catch their eye the way Cain did. Venn nonetheless rivaled Cain.

Sure, he couldn't lift as much as Cain, but he could lift a fair amount of weight to where he wasn't considered a total weakling. Running was not his strong suit, but he was fast enough to compare with Cain's speed. Venn wasn't the perfect and muscular guy that Cain was, but he himself was considered handsome by some. Venn was simply a kind boy who didn't let tragedies or woes discourage him. He was often a fine listener, and fairly optimistic. Talking wasn't always his strong suit, but that was alright considering he could be somewhat social, perfect balance of an introvert and extrovert. Venn tried to get it off his mind, but alas could not. Venn eased his mind with a stroll around the village, as he sometimes would if he felt troubled. It always felt so peaceful and calming, it relaxed him ever so easily. Midway into his walk, Venn noticed majority of the population seemed to be gathered in the very middle of the village. Venn walked over to the crowd, wondering what the commotion was about. He made his way through the crowd of thousand of people, reaching the inner circle of sorts. Anzen in the very center, some space cleared for her. A small wooden chest was in front of her, a lock placed upon it.

She cleared her throat and spoke up, the crowd falling silent. "People of the village! Ever since I was a young child, i have gotten visions and prophecies. Some of them have been mundane, but the latest one has been quite grave. I know that all of you hold me in high regard and trust me, and such is why I have gathered you all here. Recently my dreams have been plagued with horrid nightmares. I feel- no, I KNOW for a fact that these dreams are predictions of the future. My foresight has never failed me, and I do not expect it to fail me now! Within this very chest, is a weapon of great power and of ancient creation! Both a relic and a crucial object to fighting the great evil that has been born into this world as of recent!". Some of the crowd gasped in surprised, while others listened on as she continued. "The prophecy delivered to my mind is as follows! 'A beast of darkness shall rise from the north, bringing destruction and woe upon all, However, four shall rise and vanquish it, bringing peace to the land! One is of peace, another of the sea. One with a courageous heart, and the last from a small village, HE is key. He shall gather them, he shall find them. He shall assist them and help them overcome the darkness, as their destinies will bind them!' ". The village was blown away by the prophecy, a few skeptics talked amongst themselves, seeming to doubt Anzen's words. Cain pushed his way through the crowd, a smirk on his face. "Surely I am the chosen one! Am I not the most perfect of us all?" he asked to the crowd, many shouting and cheering in agreement. Anzen quietly shook her head, giving a sigh.

Cain reached for the chest, but Anzen withheld it from him. "Oracle Anzen, why do you hold my destiny from me?! Have you lost your wits, or are you just confused? If anyone out of us is the chosen one, it MUST be me! I am the strongest of us, the most handsome, and the most well spoken!". He glared at her, looking offended and anger. "Pride is what fuels you, Cain. You are strong, you are well spoken and you are handsome indeed, But you are vain, prideful, and cannot take humiliation, making you easy to anger. You are not the chosen one, now step aside you brute!" she shouted, shooing him aside. He glared at her, offended and angered. Anzen quietly carried the chest as she walked towards the inner circle...stopping right in front of Venn, setting the chest down. Venn looked at her with a look of bewilderment and confusion. "Venn, you are the one the prophecy holds as key, you are the chosen one..." she said, her face bearing a look of hope. The crowd was blown away, just about EVERYONE seeming mystified. Cain's patience had worn thin, he was filled with rage as he lunged forward and attempted to grab the chest. He was brought to a halt when a few of the village men had grabbed him and held him back.

The village people didn't exactly see Venn as some special chosen hero, but they trusted Anzen with their lives. "You fools...how dare you hold me back, I deserve to be the hero! I am the LITERAL incarnation of a perfect man, what flaws prevent me from the destiny that is meant to be MINE?!" Cain shouted, his face growing red with anger. Anzen shook her head and sighed, as the village men carried Cain away, he kicked and shouted as he was taken elsewhere. Anzen smiled up at Venn, speaking. "Well? Go on, open the chest!" she said as she handed him a small key. The village crowd watched in wonder as Venn got down, and unlocked the chest. Inside were two melon sized orbs. The color on them changing at a slow pace, but surely changed. Venn looked at them with curiosity and awe, as did the people that looked into the chest by peering over his shoulder."What are these?" he asked confusedly to Anzen."These are orbitars, Venn. These shall be the weapons and tools that will guide you on your journey!" she said excitedly, bearing a smile she had not had in entire decades. Venn picked up the orbitars, holding them. He quizzically looked at Anzen, wondering how to use them. "Just let them drop, Venn!" she said, still quite excited.

He dropped the orbitars, fearing they would slam into the ground, possibly shattering. The orbitars did no such thing. They hovered at his sides, the crowd gasping in amazement at the sight. Venn moved his hand forward, and the obitar swiftly moved forward. He looked surprised at this, and playfully moved his hands about, the orbitars mimicking his movements. Anzen had some of the crowd bring forward a large chunk of wood from the lumberjacks house, it was placed in front of Venn. Anzen beckoned him to point at the large target. Venn did so, a circular bolt of energy firing from one of the orbitars, burning into the wood, leaving a black charred mark in the middle. Venn was amazed, completely blown away, just as the crowd was. "Do you realize your importance now, Venn? You are the one who is wielding the orbitars, and you can use them pretty well already! You are to find three others to accompany you. The knight, the mage, and the pirate. Journey onward to the mushroom forest in the west!" she proclaimed, as the crowd cheered. That night a celebration was held for Venn. Food, wine, and dancing were what most of the party consisted of. Venn smiled because for once everyone REALLY seemed to notice him, seemed to acknowledge him! He danced with a few of the village girls, some even flirting with him a little. Anzen quietly sat inside her house, sipping tea. "The fate of the world rests on your shoulders, Venn. So much depends upon you, and you don't even know it..." she said to herself, giving a sigh and taking a sip of her tea. Cain grumbled to himself, as he heard the celebration going on outside. Guards had been placed outside of his house, to ensure he wouldn't do anything rash or outlandishly harsh. Eventually, the celebrating slowed, soon halting as everyone had gotten tired. One of the village girls happily skipped over to Venn, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Good luck on your journey, Venn!~" she exclaimed, giggling as she ran off.

Venn blushed, a bit flattered and embarrassed. He had a small smile on his face as he headed home, opening his door, walking in with a happy sigh, and a slight laugh. He flopped onto his bed, and soon drifted off, being quite exhausted from the amazing party that had occurred earlier. He did his usual morning routine, before hearing a knock at his door. Venn got up, and answered it. Anzen stood outside with a kind smile, one of the village men holding a large satchel. "What's that?" Venn asked with a curious look. "Food, clothing and supplies for your journey, Venn" Anzen answered as the man handed Venn the bag. He smiled, thanking both Anzen and the man. Venn then had a sudden realization, and panicked a little bit. "Wait! Will someone keep my house safe while I'm gone?" he inquired as he worried. Anzen nodded. "Someone will stay here at your house watching over it. There is no need to worry." she responded, nodding. Venn felt reassured and smiled. He stepped out of his house, looking around. The brisk morning was a bit chilly, but nonetheless was great weather. Not a cloud was in the sky, everything looking so... beautiful. He walked through the village, heading west. A few people in the village stopped what they were doing, waving and wishing him luck on his journey. Venn strode onward out of the village, inhaling happily as he took in the sights of the plains outside of the village. He imagined all of the adventures he might partake in, or all the friends he might meet. He exhaled joyfully, overwhelmed by all of the possibilities! Little did he know that his small start of a journey would turn into something MUCH larger and epic than he could ever imagine.


	2. prologue 2

Prologue 2

Ryla jolted up. Something was wrong, very wrong, and she could feel it. She had been spending the morning meditating, relaxing and calming her nerves. Being the care-taker of the mushroom forest wasn't always an easy job, but it was one she devoted herself to, day by day. It wasn't what was IN the forest that was the problem, but was often what entered it, causing trouble most of the time. Lately things had felt different. Ryla noticed small things at first, these disturbances becoming more frequent and larger. At first it was the occasional small animal acting up, rodents and rabbits becoming gradually more hostile and vicious than before. Eventually, the Ents had turned against her, and everything else. Their usual smiles had contorted into jagged scowls, their welcoming branch- arms turned into clawed limbs, ready to rip and tear. All of it had overwhelmed her to the point where she had retreated to this haven, a small patch in the very center of the forest. She was sitting by a small pond of water, the air there had a light and welcoming feeling to it. It was here that she finally felt safe and at peace. She knew not what had caused all of this, but had decided that figuring it out would be best, even if she had to cause a bit of harm in the process. She stood up, looking around.

The serene calmness of the area radiated from it , seeming to be quickly stopped by the rest of the now accursed forest. She picked up her staff, one she herself had formed from an oak limb that had drooped low on one of the trees. In the very top, a hard amber stone was in the middle, the wood twisting and blanketing over it in a pattern akin to a spiders web. the amber shone glowed through the thin yet hard wooden lengths. Ryla strolled out of the area, immediately being overwhelmed by a sense of dread and discord. Looking around, the forest seemed quiet and empty, mushrooms growing on the ground, about as abundant as sand on a beach. Some of the mushrooms had grown at the base of trees, some had grown through rocks, the stone being broken into bit and pieces. Light shined down through the trees, giving a warm glow to the entire place, but Ryla knew that such was not true. Morning dew had settled onto the grass in small droplets. It all seemed TOO quiet, not the usual sounds of the forest. No bird sang, no sounds of the wildlife, nor the creaking and groaning sounds of the Ents moving about.

This seemed to unnerve her, as she made her way through the trees. Suddenly, one of the trees began to move. Ryla gasped, stepping back, as the tree was revealed to be an Ent. The wooden creature let out a growl, as it stepped towards her, its claws brandished sharply, curving and reaching for her. A look of fear filled her eyes. She had once known these Ents as kind and gentle guardians, never seeking to bring harm to any creature they didn't have to. That was before everything had changed. The once kind beings had now become malevolent creatures, seeking nothing but to rip and claw. Their advanced minds had turned into crude, one tracked brains that screamed for turned on her heel, running through the forest, the Ent pursuing as she did so. She ran for as long as she could, eventually losing the Ent. She leaned on the trunk of a tree she was sure WASN'T alive, catching her breath. Unable to even move herself from the trunk, she was frozen from fear. Finally looking around, she nonetheless kept herself flat against the bark. Ryla's light skin glistened with morning dew. Her light green hair was long and straight, the messy locks now strewn about her face, her hazel green eyes darted about in a panicked manner, searching the forest around her. Minutes later, she got up from the tree, dusting bits of bark off her silken white cloak.

She opened it up, dusting off the white gown she wore under the cloak, her shoes being finely made from leaves bound by silk from silkworms that once were abundant in the forest. Closing her eyes, Ryla did her best to calm down. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. The rhythm of it was quick, gradually slowing down, her heart-rate lowering. She exhaled with a relieved smile. Walking onward, she gripped her staff, somewhat anxious, but now more prepared. Eventually she got tired, so she took a few minutes to take a break. Ryla reached into her cloak, pulling out a small wrapped bundle. Opening it revealed a cocktail of leafy greens and fruits, topped with a garnish of several mint leaves. A happy sigh left her lips as she remembered she had kept this on her person. Her stomach gurgled with hunger, but she nonetheless took her time with eating. Daintily wiping her lips, she folded the cloth up, placing it in her pocket. She then chewed on the mint leaves, the brisk flavour of them perked her up, she always made it a necessity to have a lovely little palette cleanser after a meal. This entire hour devoted to something other than running or hiding helped bring Ryla to peace, she felt better than ever. "It's been so lonely and hostile around here..." she mumbled to herself with a sigh, frowning a bit. She thought for a moment, before regaining her happy demeanor once more. "I can't give up now. I've taken care of this forest for my entire life, and I'm not going to let this get in the way of that, I can't give up now!" she exclaimed, gaining the motivation to carry on. She pressed onward, intent that the source of this misfortune had to be somewhere within the forest. Walking with a now brisk stride, Ryla continued her search of the forest. All seemed calm and tranquil. Suddenly, a growl broke the silence. The towering Ent had found her once more, lunging at her from the side.

Shooting forward, she turned to face it, a firm grip on her staff. The Ent looked her over, seeming to weigh its options. A ball of fire erupted from the amber crystal of her staff, the projectile fired off at the Ent. Roaring turned into shrill screeching, the Ent fleeing whilst flames engulfed the tree-like being. Tears welled up in her eyes, she quietly whispered apologies under her breath. Rather than seeming victorious, she seemed quite upset that things had to come to what they did. Ryla never was one to injure a creature of the forest, even on accident, or on the rare chance that she HAD to. Even though she knew she had little to no choice in the situation, she still grieved for the Ent. She strode onward, tears flowing down her had passed and Ryla still had not found the malevolent source of all of this. The skies were dyed an orange colour, the sun setting, a glow making its way through the trees. Her body ached, her eyes puffy from crying over the Ent she had caused pain. She knew it wasn't her fault, but she still held herself to blame. Ryla was tired, stressed, today was simply starting to become too much for her. Stopping by a bed of leaves, she laid down to rest. The world was quiet here, no bird singing, no animals making a single sound. It all felt to empty, so dead and desolate, even if the forest looked lively. Growing more drowsy by the minute, she eventually fell into a dreamless sleep. Morning came, as quiet as the night was. Ryla awoke, feeling more refreshed and happy than she had been the day before. Nonetheless something bothered her. A feeling of dread, even if slight at times, lingered.

If something were IN the forest and causing all of this, why hadn't she found the source yet? she had checked all around the inner parts of the forest, all there was left was the outer parts and the perimeter. She sighed, before it was interrupted by a rumbling growl of hunger sounded from her stomach. She gasped, before giggling a bit, being somewhat startled by it. "Oh dearie, I've given myself a bit of a fright. Imagine that, a girl being sent into a panic by her own stomach. How silly!" she said, giggling a bit more before letting out a small sigh. "Nonetheless, whatever is causing the forest to turn hostile is one slippery devil of a man... if it even IS a man." she told herself, seeming a bit unnerved by the thought of what might be the cause of all of the trouble she'd been through. The relief and tranquility was broken by a familiar sound. A roar broke the silence, albeit distant, but it was still quite and squirrels dashed past Ryla in a swift stride, fleeing from what could be heard charging in her direction. She turned to see a charred Ent rushing at her. The creature had survived the fireball, and sought vengeance upon Ryla. Fear filled her entire body, paralyzing her. Growing closer by the second, its sharp claws aimed right at her, the Ent lunged, ready to rip her to shreds. Ryla closed her eyes, hoping this was all just a nightmare. If this were so, it was one she'd never wake up from. The roar of the Ent was cut short by something, rather than a roar, she heard a creaking groan, then a thud. Opening her eyes, Ryla looked around. The end was on the ground, a hole formed clear in the very middle of it. Groans and hisses emitted from it as the Ent crumbled to ash. She looked to the left . There in front of her stood a silver haired boy, Two melon sized orbs floating at his sides...


End file.
